1983

A number of fortuitous circumstances combined to make the decade before Hurricane Agnes one of optimism and explosive growth.

A series of misfortunes beginning with Agnes created a different environment. By itself,
Agnes could not threaten Wilkes' future, but Agnes was not alone.

The end of the baby boom meant that the reservoir of applicants clamoring for admission
shrank. The reservoir was further diminished by the rapid growth of the Luzerne County
Community College, founded in the late 1960s to provide a less expensive alternative
for the first two years of college. Wilkes had been established forty years previously
to provide the same service and its competition with Kings' College had been on a
level playing field. Now for the first time it was directly competing with a government-subsidized
institution.

The economy provided additional difficulties. Flood and competition were followed
by the energy crisis and declining federal support for higher education. As the decade
progressed, inflationary pressures increased until prices rose at a rate greater than
at any previous time in this century.

The full extent of the crisis did not become evident immediately. Wilkes received
$13 million in federal funds to pay for post-flood reconstruction. Plans to complete
Stark Hall with a new academic building fronting on South River Street had begun with
demolition of five of the six buildings lying between Chase Hall and the Farley Home
in mid-1971. The flood delayed completion but the Stark extension was finally opened
in January 1975. In the interim, external space such as the Presbyterian Church House
was once again used for classrooms.

As the problems of the seventies deepened, Wilkes moved from a period of expansion
to one of consolidation. Only four buildings were acquired between 1973 and 1983,
two for demolition to open up the campus. The southern half of Waller Hall was secured
for a residence hall in October 1983. The home at 130 South River St., the last private
home in the block, was secured from the Conyngham estate in October 1975. It was opened
in October 1979 as the Conyngham Student Center, replacing the old College Commons
which was demolished three months later.

The loss of some existing and potential residence halls to the flood and the need
to reduce costs by consolidating housing facilities caused housing problems, resolved
by the lease and renovation of the housing facilities in the Y. M. C. A., redesignated as the third Miner Hall and opened in September 1980. This allowed
the College to abandon its long-term lease of facilities in the Sterling Hotel. In
September 1982, William D. Evans Hall, a new co-ed residence hall, was opened at South River and Northampton streets.

Changing social and demographic conditions led to a change in the character of the
campus. While use of existing buildings had allowed Wilkes to develop with minimal
facilities investment, this type of campus brought many liabilities to a maturing
college. With more than 60 occupied buildings at the peak, not counting the remaining
outbuildings, the College incurred increasing maintenance expenses. Rising utility
costs affected old buildings which lacked adequate insulation, as well as Pickering
Hall, which used electric heat, and new Stark, which had been built with sealed windows
and some windowless rooms in the best '70s style.

As Wilkes acquired more neighborhood houses, it increasingly secured less ornate buildings,
in contrast to the earlier solid riverfront mansions. Many had been used as apartment
houses with minimal maintenance prior to acquisition by the College. Some had faded
with the declining fortunes of the anthracite aristocracy, the descendants of whom
took flight to the suburbs. Buildings such as Kirby, Chase, Bedford, and the Annette
Evans Alumni House, formerly the Farley residence, were renovated, but finances limited
the extent to which this could be done.

The problem of preservation was complicated by Agnes. Buildings of marginal condition
and utility prior to the flood, particularly in the block below South Street, were
financially and practically unsalvageable and were removed. The decayed out-buildings
remaining in the main campus block suffered a similar fate, as did some of the less
distinguished buildings along Franklin Street. Possibly the most regrettable loss
was Harding Hall. However, pictures of the time show that Harding had deteriorated
significantly prior to purchase. It received its coup de grace from Agnes.

The removals caused considerable controversy among area preservationists, controversy
which continues today as the campus continues to evolve. However, the efforts which
have been made and which continue to be made, such as the imminent renovation of Capin
Hall and the plans for new buildings which will be architecturally compatible with
the historic character of the neighborhood, represent an attempt to preserve a sense
of the past while creating a viable, functional neighborhood to contribute to Wilkes-Barre's
present.

The restructuring of the campus also led to a retreat on its northern frontier. As
the College had grown, its direction had been governed as much by targets of opportunity
as by a coherent long-range acquisition plan. By the 1970s, it was clear that the
College should concentrate its development between Northampton and Ross streets. Housing
in the Sterling Hotel on Market Street was discontinued in 1981. In 1983 the entire
north end of the campus, including Chapman and Parrish halls and the Guidance Center,
was sold. By that time, Parrish had outlived its usefulness. A large building, its
construction resisted easy renovation and it contained much unusable space. It became
the headquarters of the Guard Insurance Group.